US11632062B2 - Electrostatically rotatable gear and gear set - Google Patents
Electrostatically rotatable gear and gear set Download PDFInfo
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- US11632062B2 US11632062B2 US16/751,847 US202016751847A US11632062B2 US 11632062 B2 US11632062 B2 US 11632062B2 US 202016751847 A US202016751847 A US 202016751847A US 11632062 B2 US11632062 B2 US 11632062B2
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- gear tooth
- gear
- electrode
- contact face
- tooth
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02N—ELECTRIC MACHINES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H02N1/00—Electrostatic generators or motors using a solid moving electrostatic charge carrier
- H02N1/002—Electrostatic motors
- H02N1/004—Electrostatic motors in which a body is moved along a path due to interaction with an electric field travelling along the path
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H49/00—Other gearings
- F16H49/005—Magnetic gearings with physical contact between gears
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H1/00—Toothed gearings for conveying rotary motion
- F16H1/003—Monodirectionally torque-transmitting toothed gearing
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05F—STATIC ELECTRICITY; NATURALLY-OCCURRING ELECTRICITY
- H05F3/00—Carrying-off electrostatic charges
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H1/00—Toothed gearings for conveying rotary motion
- F16H1/02—Toothed gearings for conveying rotary motion without gears having orbital motion
- F16H1/04—Toothed gearings for conveying rotary motion without gears having orbital motion involving only two intermeshing members
- F16H1/06—Toothed gearings for conveying rotary motion without gears having orbital motion involving only two intermeshing members with parallel axes
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H57/00—General details of gearing
- F16H2057/0056—Mounting parts arranged in special position or by special sequence, e.g. for keeping particular parts in his position during assembly
Definitions
- the present invention relates to gears and gear sets and, more particularly, a gear set configured to be rotated or propelled by electrostatic forces generated at electrodes positioned on teeth of the gears.
- Conventional toothed gears and gear sets may require connection to gear shaft(s) to transfer rotational motion to and from the gears.
- gear shaft(s) may transfer rotational motion to and from the gears.
- mechanical energy must be applied to a first gear in the gear set to rotate a second, meshing gear in the gear set.
- the need for such shafts and external sources of rotational energy may restrict the space envelope and operational environments in which a gear set may be employed.
- a gear in one aspect of the embodiments described herein, includes at least one gear tooth and an electrode mounted to the at least one gear tooth along a contact face of the at least one gear tooth.
- a flowable dielectric material is positioned on the contact face of the at least one gear tooth. The dielectric material is structured to be movable along the contact face of the at least one gear tooth responsive to a gravity force.
- a gear set in another aspect of the embodiments described herein, includes a first gear including a first gear tooth and a first electrode mounted to the first gear tooth along a contact face of the first gear tooth.
- the gear set also includes a second gear having a second gear tooth structured to mesh with and contact the contact face of the first gear tooth along a contact face of the second gear tooth.
- a second electrode is mounted to the second gear tooth along the contact face of the second gear tooth.
- the gear set also includes a flowable dielectric material positioned on at least one of the contact face of the first gear tooth and the contact face of the second gear tooth.
- the dielectric material is structured to be movable along the at least one of the contact face of the first gear tooth and the contact face of the second gear tooth responsive to contact between the contact face of the first gear tooth and the contact face of the second gear tooth, and so as to remain positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode during movement of the dielectric material along the at least one of the contact face of the first gear tooth and the contact face of the second gear tooth.
- a method of applying a braking force to a pair of rotating meshed gears includes a first gear having a first gear tooth and a second gear having a second gear tooth.
- the first gear tooth has a contact face
- the second gear tooth has a contact face positionable opposite the first gear tooth contact face to make contact with the first gear tooth contact face during rotation of the gears of the pair of meshed gears.
- the first gear tooth has an electrode mounted to the first gear tooth along the first gear tooth contact face.
- the second gear tooth has an electrode mounted to the second gear tooth along the second gear tooth contact face.
- the method includes a step of, prior to contact between the first gear tooth contact face and the second gear tooth contact face during rotation of the first gear in a first rotational direction and rotation of the second gear in a second rotational direction, energizing both the first gear tooth electrode and the second gear tooth electrode so as to produce a net charge on the first gear tooth electrode and a net charge on the second gear tooth electrode.
- the net charge on the first gear tooth electrode has a polarity
- the net charge on the second gear tooth electrode has a polarity the same as the polarity on the first gear tooth electrode.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an electrostatically drivable gear 20 in accordance with an embodiment described herein.
- FIG. 1 A is a schematic view of a portion of a gear tooth electrode energized so as to provide a net positive charge thereon, and illustrating a resulting dielectric polarization of charges within the structure of a dielectric material movably positioned along the gear tooth adjacent the electrode.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of shows one embodiment of a gear control system configured for determining and controlling, in a synchronized or coordinated fashion, the timing of energization of the gear electrodes for the purposes and in a manner described herein.
- FIG. 3 A is a schematic side view of a contact interface of an exemplary rotating mating gear set showing the gears just after making contact.
- FIG. 3 B is the view of FIG. 3 A showing the mating gears in a later stage of rotation, and showing movement of a dielectric material along a contact face of a gear tooth.
- FIG. 3 C is the view of FIG. 3 B showing the mating gears in a still later stage of rotation, and showing further movement of the dielectric material along the contact face of the gear tooth.
- FIG. 3 D is the view of FIG. 3 C showing the mating gears in a still later stage of rotation, and showing further movement of the dielectric material along the contact face of the gear tooth.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a pair of mating gear teeth showing net charges on electrodes of the gear teeth directed to generation of a repulsive force between the gear teeth.
- FIG. 5 A is a schematic side view of portions of mating gear teeth incorporating electrodes in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the gear set, shown when the gear teeth first make contact during rotation of the gears.
- FIG. 5 B is the schematic side view of FIG. 5 A showing portions of the mating gear teeth in contact during a later stage of rotation of the gears.
- Embodiments described herein relate to a gear set including a first gear having a first gear tooth and a first electrode mounted to the first gear tooth along a contact face of the first gear tooth.
- a second gear having a second gear tooth is structured to mesh with and contact the contact face of the first gear tooth along a contact face of the second gear tooth.
- a second electrode is mounted to the second gear tooth along the contact face of the second gear tooth.
- the gear set also includes a flowable dielectric material positioned on at least one of the contact face of the first gear tooth and the contact face of the second gear tooth, between the first tooth and second tooth electrodes. The dielectric material may move along the contact face as the gears rotate.
- the dielectric material is structured to be movable along the contact face on which it is positioned.
- Energization of the opposed electrodes to provide opposite net charges on the electrodes creates an attractive force between the electrodes, resulting in rotation of the gears.
- Energization of the electrodes also produces a separation of charges in the dielectric material positioned between the electrodes, resulting in a magnification of the attractive force.
- movement of the dielectric material along the contact interface between the gear teeth produces a localized, migrating region of magnified attractive force between the electrodes.
- like net charges may be generated on the electrodes to produce a repulsive force usable for braking the rotation of the gears.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an electrostatically drivable gear 20 in accordance with an embodiment described herein.
- timed high-voltage energization of selected electrodes formed along the gear may generate electric fields in the electrodes. These electric fields may interact with other electric fields generated exterior of the gear to produce attractive and/or repulsive forces which result in rotation of the gear.
- the exterior electric fields may be generated by energizing electrodes formed along another gear structured and positioned to mesh or mate with the first gear. Suitable dielectric materials may be interposed between the electrodes to increase the generated attractive and/or repulsive forces.
- the gears may be structured to be driven or rotated by forces resulting from electrostatic interactions between the energized electrodes, without the need for any conventional external mechanical driving mechanism (such as a shaft coupled to a motor, for example).
- gear 20 may include at least one tooth 22 - 1 and an electrode 24 - 1 mounted to the at least one tooth 22 - 1 along a contact face 22 - 1 a of the tooth 22 - 1 .
- the gear embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes multiple teeth 22 (individually designated 22 - 1 , 22 - 2 , 22 - 3 , etc.) structured in the manner described herein.
- the electrode 24 - 1 extends “along” the contact face 22 - 1 a in that it follows the contour of the contact face 22 a , either as a part of the contact face or at a level slightly below the contact face (in the case of an electrode embedded in the contact face).
- characteristics of a single tooth 22 - 1 will be described, it will be understood that each of the other teeth on the gear 20 may have the same tooth profile and characteristics.
- Each gear tooth 22 may have a profile used in a standard involute gear.
- the contact face 22 - 1 a of the gear tooth 22 - 1 may be a surface structured to make contact (along at least a portion thereof) with a contact face of a mating, similarly structured tooth of another gear (not shown in FIG. 1 ) structured to mesh with the gear 20 during rotation of the gears.
- FIG. 1 shows an example of the contact face 22 - 1 a of the tooth 22 - 1 .
- the tooth 22 - 1 may have a base 22 - 1 b (where the tooth 22 - 1 joins a rotational hub 23 of the gear 20 ) and a free end 22 - 1 c .
- the contact face 22 - 1 a may extend between the base 22 - 1 b and the free end 22 - 1 c.
- the electrode 24 - 1 may extend along the contact face 22 - 1 a between the base 22 - 1 b and the free end 22 - 1 c .
- the electrode 24 - 1 may be formed from a copper alloy or any other material suitable for the purposes described herein.
- the electrode 24 - 1 may be mounted to the tooth 22 - 1 so as to be close to the contact face 22 - 1 a while preventing physical contact between the electrode 24 - 1 and another electrode (not shown) mounted on a contact face of a mating gear tooth (not shown) which is structured to mesh with the contact face 22 - 1 a .
- a mating gear tooth not shown
- the electrode 24 - 1 may be recessed in a cavity 22 - 1 d formed in the contact face 22 - 1 a .
- the electrode 24 - 1 may covered by a thin insulative layer 22 - 1 e .
- the electrode 24 - 1 may be embedded or molded into the gear 20 just below the contact face 22 - 1 a . Any suitable method may be used for mounting the electrode 24 - 1 for the purposes described herein.
- the gear 20 may have a second gear 22 - 2 tooth formed adjacent the first gear tooth 22 - 1 .
- the second gear tooth 22 - 2 may have a contact face 22 - 2 a along a side of the tooth 22 - 2 facing in the same general direction as first gear tooth contact face 22 - 1 a .
- a second gear tooth electrode 24 - 2 may be mounted along the second gear tooth contact face 22 - 2 a . This distribution of electrodes on similarly-facing contact faces of consecutive gear teeth may be continued for all the teeth 22 along the entire gear 20 to provide a gear electrode arrangement as shown in FIG. 1 , with an electrode mounted on the same side or contact face of each tooth of the gear.
- a quantity of flowable dielectric material 26 - 1 may be positioned on the contact face 22 - 1 a of the tooth 22 - 1 .
- the dielectric material 26 - 1 may be structured to be flowable or movable along the contact face 22 - 1 a of the tooth 22 - 1 between the base 22 - 1 b of the tooth 22 - 1 and the free end 22 - 1 c of the tooth.
- the term “flowable” means that the structure and/or application method of the dielectric material 26 - 1 to the contact face 22 - 1 a may be specified so that the location of the dielectric material 26 - 1 is not confined to an initial location on the contact face 22 - 1 a to which the material is applied.
- the dielectric material 26 - 1 may have a degree of cohesion relative to the material of the contact face 22 - 1 a such that the dielectric material 26 - 1 may move along the contact face 22 - 1 a as a cohesive, unified mass rather than spreading evenly along the contact face. In such a case, the dielectric material 26 - 1 may move along the contact face 22 - 1 a responsive to the application of various forces thereto.
- the dielectric material 26 - 1 may be structured to be movable along the contact face 22 - 1 a responsive to a gravity force acting on the dielectric material, due to rotation of the gear 20 .
- a dielectric material 26 - 1 positioned on the contact face 22 - 1 a of the tooth 22 - 1 may move closer and closer to the free end 22 - 1 c of the tooth 22 - 1 .
- the dielectric material 26 - 1 may be structured to be movable along the contact face 22 - 1 a responsive to a pressure resulting from contact between the contact face 22 - 1 a of the tooth 22 - 1 and a mating contact face (not shown) of another tooth formed on another gear. In a manner described herein, this repositionability of the dielectric material along a gear tooth may aid in dynamically adjusting attractive forces between gear teeth during rotation of the gears.
- sufficient attractive force may be generated between gears to initiate motion of the gears starting from a static or non-rotating condition. In other arrangements, sufficient attractive force may be generated between gears to maintain an existing rotation of the gears by generation of periodic force impulses as described herein to “recharge” the angular momentum of the gears.
- a flowable dielectric material 26 - 2 may also be positioned on the contact face 22 - 2 a of the tooth 22 - 2 .
- a dielectric material may be positioned along each similarly-oriented contact face of each tooth 22 of the gear 20 .
- Electrodes may be energized by the application of a relatively high voltage (i.e., a voltage in the range 3-8 kilovolts (kV)) to the electrodes.
- a relatively high voltage i.e., a voltage in the range 3-8 kilovolts (kV)
- the actual range of applied voltage may depend on the particular gear and gear system design.
- FIG. 1 A is a schematic partial cutaway view of a portion of first gear tooth 22 - 1 positioned adjacent another tooth X 1 of another gear (not shown).
- the other tooth X 1 may have an electrode X 2 mounted thereon. As seen in FIG.
- flowable dielectric materials suitable for the purposes described herein may include FR3TM fluids typically used in transformers as well as silicon oils and other mineral oils with properties tailored to have the physical and electrical properties described herein.
- a flowable dielectric material suitable for the purposes described herein may have a relatively high dielectric permittivity (>3 Farads/meter).
- a flowable dielectric material suitable for the purposes described herein may have a relatively high (>25 kV) dielectric breakdown voltage.
- a flowable dielectric material suitable for the purposes described herein may have a kinematic viscosity of ⁇ 40 mm 2 /second.
- a flowable dielectric material suitable for the purposes described herein may have a density in the range of 0.8-0.95 gm/cc.
- each electrode 24 may be structured and mounted on the gear 20 so as to be individually energizable.
- Each electrode on the gear may be individually electrically coupled to an energy distribution mechanism (generally designated 28 ) structured to enable characteristics of the electrical energy distributed to each electrode to be controlled individually using a gear control module as described herein.
- the energy distribution mechanism 28 may be in the form of individual conductors formed or mounted on the gear 20 , with one or more of the conductors electrically coupled to an associated one of tooth electrodes 24 .
- the energy distribution mechanism 28 may be electrically coupled to a power source 48 controlled through the gear control module 42 (described in greater detail below).
- FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of a gear control system 32 configured for determining and controlling, in a synchronized or coordinated fashion, the timing of energization of the gear electrodes for the purposes and in a manner described herein.
- the gear control system 32 may include one or more processor(s) 36 .
- the processor(s) 36 may be operably connected to other elements or systems (for example, sensor system 44 ) for receiving information from the other elements or systems, and for issuing control commands to the other elements to control or aid in controlling operations of the gears.
- the terms “operably connected” and “operably coupled” as used throughout this description, can include direct or indirect connections, including connections without direct physical contact.
- One or more memories 38 may be operably coupled to the processor(s) 36 for storing a gear control module 42 (described below), other modules, and any data and other information needed for diagnostics, operation, control, etc. of energization of the electrodes and/or other operations of the gears.
- the memorie(s) 38 may be one or more of a random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard-disk drive, a flash memory, or other suitable memory for storing the required modules and information.
- Electrode energization and/or other operations relating to the gears 20 , 50 may be autonomously controlled, for example, by the gear control module 42 (described in greater detail below).
- autonomous control refers to controlling various aspects of electrode energization, gear movement and/or other operations with minimal or no input from a human operator.
- the gear control system 32 is highly automated or completely automated.
- module includes routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or implement particular data types.
- a memory generally stores the noted modules.
- the memory associated with a module may be a buffer or cache embedded within a processor, a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, or another suitable electronic storage medium, such as memory 38 .
- a module as envisioned by the present disclosure is implemented as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a hardware component of a system on a chip (SoC), as a programmable logic array (PLA), or as another suitable hardware component that is embedded with a defined configuration set (e.g., instructions) for performing the disclosed functions.
- ASIC application-specific integrated circuit
- SoC system on a chip
- PLA programmable logic array
- Any modules described herein can be implemented as computer-readable program code that, when executed by processor(s) 36 , autonomously implement various gear control functions.
- Any module described herein can be a component of the processor(s) 36 , or one or more of the modules can be executed on and/or distributed among other processing systems to which the processor(s) 36 is operably connected.
- Any module can include instructions (e.g., program logic) executable by the one or more processor(s) 36 .
- one or more of the modules can include artificial or computational intelligence elements, e.g., neural network, fuzzy logic or other machine learning algorithms.
- the functions of one or more of the modules can be distributed among a plurality of the modules described herein. In one or more arrangements, two or more of the modules can be combined into a single module.
- the gear control module 42 and/or processor(s) 36 can be configured to receive data from the sensor system 44 and/or any other type of system or element capable of acquiring information relating to the gears. In one or more arrangements, the gear control module 42 and/or processor(s) 36 can use such data in controlling any gear, gear set, or an entire gear system formed from multiple gears. The gear control module 42 can control various operations of the gears either alone or in combination with processor(s) 36 .
- the gear control module 42 can cause, directly or indirectly, electrode energization and other gear control functions to be implemented.
- “cause” or “causing” means to make, command, instruct, and/or enable an event or action to occur or at least be in a state where such event or action may occur, either in a direct or indirect manner.
- the gear control module 42 can be configured to execute various vehicle control functions and/or to transmit data to, receive data from, interact with, and/or control the gears and gear control system 32 and/or one or more elements thereof.
- the gear control system 32 can include a sensor system 44 .
- the sensor system 34 can include one or more sensors.
- Sensor means any device, component and/or system that can detect, and/or sense something.
- the one or more sensors can be configured to detect, and/or sense in real-time.
- real-time means a level of processing responsiveness that system senses as sufficiently immediate for a particular process or determination to be made, or that enables the processor to keep up with some external process or to meet some other operational requirement of the gear control system.
- the sensors can function independently from each other.
- two or more of the sensors can work in combination with each other.
- the two or more sensors can form a sensor network.
- the sensor system 44 and/or the one or more sensors can be operably connected to the processor(s) 36 , gear control module 42 and/or another element of the gear control system.
- the sensor system 44 can include any suitable type of sensor. Various examples of different types of sensors are described herein. However, it will be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the particular sensors described.
- sensor system 44 may include angular motion sensor(s) 44 a and/or angular position sensors 44 b operatively coupled to the gears and configured to measure the angle of rotation of each gear. Additional (or alternative) sensors 44 c may also be used to provide information usable to determine energization parameters (such as timing) of the various electrodes.
- the gear control system 32 may include a power source 48 configured to provide any voltage and/or current necessary for energizing gear electrodes as described herein.
- the power source 48 may include circuitry operable or controllable by the gear control module 42 to autonomously control the magnitudes, durations, polarities, and other characteristics of any electrical energy applied to the electrodes 24 , in a manner needed to operate the gears as described herein.
- the gear control module 42 may include instructions that when executed by the processor(s) 36 cause the processor(s) to control the timing, magnitude, polarity, and any other characteristics of any electrical energy used to energize the electrodes 24 .
- the gear control module 42 may include instructions that when executed by the processor(s) 36 cause the processor(s) to control energization characteristics of a single electrode or multiple electrodes simultaneously.
- any suitable method and mechanism may be used to determine when each tooth of a pair of mating gear teeth is in a rotational position where an electrode mounted on the tooth should be energized or de-energized in relation to the electrode on the mating tooth.
- angular motion and/or angular position sensors may be operatively coupled to the gears and configured to measure the angle of rotation of each gear.
- the gear control 42 module may include instructions that when executed by the processors cause the processors to energize the electrodes mounted on the teeth of a pair of newly engaging teeth, every time a new pair of teeth engages.
- the gear control module 42 may include instructions that when executed by the processor(s) 36 cause the processor(s) to determine which pair of electrodes should be energized next during rotation of the mating gears, based on any currently energized electrodes, the directions and rates of rotation of the gears, and other factors. These electrodes may be electrodes mounted on a pair of gear teeth which will mate next as the gears rotate.
- the gear control module 42 may include instructions that when executed by the processor(s) 36 cause the processor(s) to energize the electrodes on the next mating pair of gear teeth, after one or more of the gears have rotated an amount equal to an angular distance separating the gear teeth and the next mating pair of gears have made contact.
- the gear control module 42 may include instructions that when executed by the processor(s) 36 cause the processor(s) to deenergize the electrodes on the currently mated pair of gear teeth, after one or more of the gears have rotated a predetermined angular distance from the point of energization, for example, at a point in rotation of the gears where the currently mated pair of gear teeth disengage from each other.
- the gear control module 42 may include instructions that when executed by the processor(s) 36 cause the processor(s) to repeat the above steps for each successive pair of mating gear teeth.
- the gear control module 42 may include instructions that when executed by the processor(s) 36 cause the processor(s) to selectively and successively energize and de-energize one or more electrodes in a coordinated fashion to generate attractive forces between pairs of gears prior to and/or during contact between the gears as described herein.
- FIGS. 3 A- 3 D show schematic side views of a contact interface of a mating gear set with gears 20 and 50 having horizontal rotational axes.
- each gear tooth may move alternately rotationally upwardly (in direction A 1 ) and downwardly (in direction B 1 ) as the associated gear rotates. Therefore, a dielectric material positioned along each contact face of a tooth may tend to move along the contact face in association with the tooth movement. That is, as a tooth moves in a downward direction during gear rotation, the dielectric material positioned on the tooth may tend to move toward the free end of the tooth. Conversely, as the tooth moves in an upward direction during gear rotation, the dielectric material positioned on the tooth may tend to move toward the base of the tooth.
- FIG. 3 A shows two mating gears 20 and 50 which are intended to rotate in directions C 1 (for gear 20 ) and D 1 (for gear 50 ).
- First gear 20 may include a first gear tooth 22 - 1 and a first electrode 24 - 1 mounted to the first gear tooth 22 - 1 along a contact face 22 - 1 a of the first gear tooth 22 - 1 .
- Second gear 50 may include a second gear tooth 52 - 1 structured to mesh with the first gear first gear tooth 22 - 1 to contact the first gear tooth contact face 22 - 1 a along a contact face 52 - 1 a of the second gear tooth 52 - 1 , and a second electrode 54 - 1 mounted to the second gear tooth 52 - 1 along the second gear tooth contact face.
- a flowable dielectric material may be positioned on at least one of the first gear tooth contact face 22 - 1 a and the second gear tooth contact face 52 - al .
- the dielectric material may be structured to be movable along the one of the first gear tooth contact face 22 - 1 a and the second gear tooth contact face 52 - 1 a responsive to contact between the first gear tooth contact face 22 - 1 a and the second gear tooth contact face 22 - 1 a .
- the dielectric material 26 - 1 is positioned on the first gear tooth contact face 22 - 1 a .
- the dielectric material 26 - 1 may also be structured to be movable along the first gear tooth contact face 22 - 1 a so as to remain positioned between the first electrode 24 - 1 and the second electrode 54 - 1 during movement of the dielectric material 26 - 1 along the first gear tooth contact face 22 - 1 a.
- first gear 20 may rotate so that first gear tooth 22 - 1 contacts the free end 52 - 1 c of second gear tooth 52 - 1 of second gear 50 along the contact face 52 - 1 a of tooth 52 - 1 . Since first gear tooth 22 - 1 has been rotating downwardly prior to contact with second gear tooth 52 - 1 , the dielectric material 26 - 1 positioned along first gear tooth 22 - 1 may have moved toward the free end 22 - 1 c of the first gear tooth. Thus, when first gear tooth 22 - 1 contacts second gear tooth 52 - 1 , the dielectric material 26 - 1 on contact face 22 - 1 a may be positioned between electrodes 24 - 1 and 54 - 1 .
- electrodes 24 - 1 and 54 - 1 may be energized with opposite polarities to generate an attractive force between the electrodes.
- Energization of the electrodes 24 - 1 , 54 - 1 also produces a separation of charges in the dielectric material 26 - 1 positioned on contact face 22 - 1 a and between the electrodes, resulting in a magnification of the attractive force.
- This produces a region of relatively greater attractive force in the region of the dielectric material 26 - 1 .
- This region of relatively greater attractive force may draw the electrodes 24 - 1 , 54 - 1 toward each other, resulting in rotation of the gears in directions C 1 and D 1 .
- the region of contact between the contact faces 22 - 1 a and 52 - 1 a migrates along the contact face 22 - 1 a toward the free end 22 - 1 c of tooth 22 - 1 .
- the movable dielectric material 26 - 1 on contact face 22 - 1 a is “squeezed” or pressed by the migrating tooth contact interface, moving the dielectric material 26 - 1 (and the region of relatively greater attractive force) along contact face 22 - 1 a .
- the dielectric material 26 - 1 may alternatively (or additionally) move in a direction toward tooth free end 22 - 1 c due to the force of gravity acting on the dielectric material.
- the electrodes 24 - 1 and 54 - 1 may be structured and mounted on the gear teeth so that the dielectric material 26 - 1 remains positioned between the first electrode 24 - 1 and the second electrode 54 - 1 during movement of the dielectric material along the contact face 22 - 1 a . Positioned thus between the electrodes, the dielectric material 26 - 1 may be used to magnify the forces generated between the electrodes by electrode energization.
- the electrodes 24 - 1 and 54 - 1 may be de-energized at or about the time when the dielectric material reaches the free end 22 - 1 c of the tooth 22 - 1 .
- the rotational momentum produced by the process just described may cause the gears 20 , 50 to rotate to a point where another tooth of first gear 20 contacts another tooth of second gear 50 . Then energization of these next teeth will repeat the process just described to continue rotation of the gears.
- characteristics of the gear set just described may be used to apply a braking force to slow and/or stop rotation of the gear set.
- the first gear 20 may be rotating in the first rotational direction C 1 and the second gear 50 may be rotating in the second rotational direction D 1 .
- electrodes 24 - 1 and 54 - 1 may be energized so as to provide a net charge of the same polarity on each electrode, thereby generating a repulsive force between the first gear tooth electrode 24 - 1 and the second gear tooth electrode 54 - 1 prior to the first gear tooth contact face 22 - 1 a and the second gear tooth contact face 52 - 1 a making contact with each other.
- FIG. 4 shows electrodes 24 - 1 and 54 - 1 with net positive (“+”) charges. Continuous application of the repulsive force on the first gear tooth electrode 24 - 1 may slow forward rotational motion of the first gear as the gear rotates in direction C 1 .
- a dielectric material on at least one of the electrodes and interposed between the electrodes may magnify the generated force (in this case, a repulsive force) thereby increasing the rotational deceleration rate of the first gear.
- energization of the one of the first gear tooth electrode 24 - 1 and the second gear tooth electrode 54 - 1 proximate which the dielectric material 26 - 1 is positioned may produce a dielectric polarization of charges within the structure of the dielectric material such that a repulsive force is generated between the dielectric material and the other one of the first tooth electrode and the second gear tooth electrode when the other one of the first tooth electrode and the second gear tooth electrode is energized.
- the process for slowing rotation of a gear set may also be performed without the dielectric, by energizing the electrodes so as to provide a net charge of the same polarity on each electrode.
- FIGS. 5 A and 5 B are schematic side views of portions of mating gear teeth 122 - 1 and 152 - 1 incorporating electrodes in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the gear set.
- the gear set may include a first gear 120 including a first gear tooth 122 - 1 and a first electrode 124 - 1 mounted to the first gear tooth along a contact face 122 - 1 a of the first gear tooth 122 - 1 .
- a second gear 150 may include a second gear tooth 152 - 1 structured to mesh with the first gear tooth 122 - 1 to contact the first gear tooth contact face 122 - 1 a along a contact face 152 - 1 a of the second gear tooth.
- Gear 120 may rotate in direction E 1 and gear 150 may rotate in direction F 1 .
- a second electrode 154 - 1 may be mounted to the second gear tooth 152 - 1 along the second gear tooth contact face 152 - 1 a .
- a flowable dielectric material 156 - 1 may be positioned on at least one of the first gear tooth contact face 122 - 1 a and the second gear tooth contact face 152 - 1 a .
- the dielectric material 156 - 1 may be structured to be movable along the one of the first gear tooth contact face 122 - 1 a and the second gear tooth contact face 152 - 1 a responsive to contact between the first gear tooth contact face and the second gear tooth contact face. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 A and 5 B , the dielectric material 156 - 1 is positioned on the second gear tooth contact face 152 - 1 a.
- a third electrode 124 - 2 may be mounted to the first gear tooth 122 - 1 along the first gear tooth contact face 122 - 1 a .
- a first insulative intermediate region 122 - 1 m may be formed along the first gear tooth contact face between the first electrode and the third electrode.
- the first intermediate region 122 - 1 m does not include an electrode and serves as a gap or boundary between the first electrode 124 - 1 and third electrode 124 - 2 .
- a fourth electrode 154 - 2 may also be mounted to the second gear tooth 150 - 1 along the second gear tooth contact face 152 - 1 a .
- a second insulative intermediate region 152 - 1 m may be formed along the second gear tooth contact face 152 - 1 a between the second electrode 154 - 1 and the fourth electrode 152 - 2 .
- the second intermediate region 152 - 1 m does not include an electrode and serves as a gap or boundary between the second electrode 154 - 1 and the fourth electrode 154 - 2 .
- the first gear 120 and second gear 150 may be structured so that the first intermediate region 122 - 1 m and the second intermediate region 152 - 1 m make contact with each other during contact between the first gear tooth contact face 122 - 1 a and the second gear tooth contact face 152 - 1 a.
- FIGS. A- 5 B may operate in the same basic manner as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 A- 3 D .
- first gear tooth first electrode 124 - 1 and second gear tooth first electrode 154 - 1 may be energized to provide an attractive force between the electrodes.
- Energization of electrode 154 - 1 may produce polarization in the dielectric as previously described, thereby magnifying the attractive force between the electrodes and promoting the rotation of first tooth 122 - 1 in direction E 1 .
- dielectric material 156 - 1 may be pressed between contact faces 122 - 1 a and 152 - 1 a toward second gear tooth base 152 - 1 b .
- the region of enhanced attractive force migrates along contact face 152 - 1 a , continuing the gear rotation to a point there the first intermediate region 122 - 1 m and the second intermediate region 152 - 1 m make contact with each other ( FIG. 5 B ).
- electrode 154 - 1 may be de-energized and electrode 154 - 2 may be energized so as to generate an attractive force between electrode 124 - 1 and electrode 154 - 2 .
- the electrodes 124 - 1 and 154 - 2 may be de-energized by the gear control module when contact is broken between the teeth 122 - 1 and 152 - 1 .
- electrode(s) may be selectively energized which are most pertinent to generating forces between the portions of the gear teeth desired to be acted on at any given point during rotation of the gears. Electrodes which do not contribute to a desired generation of forces at any given point during the rotation may be left unenergized, thereby conserving power and helping to minimize generation of other forces which may interfere with the desired motion of the gears.
- each block in the block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s).
- the systems, components and/or processes described above can be realized in hardware or a combination of hardware and software and can be realized in a centralized fashion in one processing system or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected processing systems. Any kind of processing system or another apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited.
- a typical combination of hardware and software can be a processing system with computer-usable program code that, when being loaded and executed, controls the processing system such that it carries out the methods described herein.
- the systems, components and/or processes also can be embedded in a computer-readable storage, such as a computer program product or other data programs storage device, readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform methods and processes described herein. These elements also can be embedded in an application product which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein and, which when loaded in a processing system, is able to carry out these methods.
- arrangements described herein may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer-readable media having computer-readable program code embodied, e.g., stored, thereon. Any combination of one or more computer-readable media may be utilized.
- the computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium.
- the phrase “computer-readable storage medium” means a non-transitory storage medium.
- a computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.
- a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
- modules as used herein include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or implement particular data types.
- a memory generally stores the noted modules.
- the memory associated with a module may be a buffer or cache embedded within a processor, a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, or another suitable electronic storage medium.
- a module as envisioned by the present disclosure, is implemented as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a hardware component of a system on a chip (SoC), as a programmable logic array (PLA), or as another suitable hardware component that is embedded with a defined configuration set (e.g., instructions) for performing the disclosed functions.
- ASIC application-specific integrated circuit
- SoC system on a chip
- PLA programmable logic array
- Program code embodied on a computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber, cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.
- Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present arrangements may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object-oriented programming language such as JavaTM, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages.
- the program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on the remote computer or server.
- the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).
- LAN local area network
- WAN wide area network
- Internet Service Provider an Internet Service Provider
- the terms “a” and “an,” as used herein, are defined as one or more than one.
- the term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or more than two.
- the term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more.
- the terms “including” and/or “having,” as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e. open language).
- the phrase “at least one of . . . and . . . ” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
- the phrase “at least one of A, B and C” includes A only, B only, C only, or any combination thereof (e.g. AB, AC, BC or ABC).
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- Gears, Cams (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims (9)
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US16/751,847 US11632062B2 (en) | 2020-01-24 | 2020-01-24 | Electrostatically rotatable gear and gear set |
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US16/751,847 US11632062B2 (en) | 2020-01-24 | 2020-01-24 | Electrostatically rotatable gear and gear set |
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